Already assured of progression to the round of 16, France rested many first team regulars including Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Huge Lloris against Tunisia. And they paid the price for that, ultimately losing the match. The Tunisians also had VAR to thank for their win after Antoine Griezmann's equaliser in the eighth minute of stoppage time was ruled out for offside.
Whabi Khazri was missing from Tunisia's starting lineup in the first two games. And that was a shame, because it was this France native who could have secured a different fate for Tunisia in the tournament. He scored the only goal of the match for Tunisia and became the first African in history to score in three consecutive games in which he started at a World Cup.
Replacing Olivier Giroud was a tough task for Frankfurt's young striker Randal Kolo Muani. You can see from the map of his movements around the pitch that didn’t spare any energy and wanted to build on his impressive Bundesliga form, where he has already found five goals and nine assists this season. But he didn't get any chances in this game.
See Tunisia vs France at Flashscore
Australia scored a single goal against Denmark, as they have done in all their games so far in the tournament. And in the end, one goal was enough. The Danes couldn't find an equaliser and so Australia progresses to the round of 16, along with France.
The only goal of the game, scored by Mathew Leckie, is definitely worth analysing. In an evenly matched contest such as this, it only takes one lucky break to be the difference maker. Look how just a few passes got the Australians from their own penalty area to a goal scoring situation.
This current WC is unique in how few shots it takes for teams to score - on average just 8.6 per goal, that’s the lowest in history. Even in Australia's match with Denmark, neither team recorded more than one expected goal. the Danes managed 0.63, Australia 0.68. That was the difference between who advances and who goes home.
See Australia vs Denmark at Flashscore
In Group C, Poland and Mexico tested the nerves of their fans to the extreme. Let's start with the Poles. They held Argentina goalless until halftime, but conceded twice in the second half and then had to hope that Mexico didn’t outscore them for the tournament in their concurrent game with Saudi Arabia.
Poland's hopes of progressing out of the group were mainly kept alive by their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Not only did he save Messi's penalty, but he saved a total of nine Argentine shots as well. It was an incredible performance by the Polish veteran, whose teammates must be thanking him today.
You can see just how deeply Poland defended by looking at their average positions in the match. They played the whole game so deep in their half, defending doggedly to ensure they only lost by only two goals. Lewandowski up front was completely cut off from the rest of the team.
See Poland vs Argentina at Flashscore
The Mexicans managed to score two goals against Saudi Arabia, but it was not enough to qualify. With a 2-0 lead, they had the exact same goal difference as the Poles, the same number of goals scored and a draw between them in their opening game. All that was separating the two teams was the fact that Poland had received fewer yellow cards so far in the tournament. The Mexicans pushed hard for a third goal, but eventually ended up conceding one late on and are thus going home from Qatar, heartbroken.
Check out the stats from this match. The Mexicans had 26 shots, superior ball possession and twice as many passes as their opponents. But the third goal just wouldn’t come despite a tonne of pressure from the Central Americans.
The Mexicans were left crying their eyes out despite their great effort. Here is a clear illustration of their shooting for the match - the white dots indicate shots on goal. It just wasn't enough, though.
Ultimately, the Mexicans have paid the price for not performing in their first two games as they did against Saudi Arabia. And they are going home as a result.
See Saudi Arabia vs Mexico at Flashscore
So two more round of 16 ties have now been confirmed. Poland, who just scraped through, will face France. While the unlikely qualifiers Australia will face Messi’s Argentina.
You might want to take a little breather before the start of the next day's play in Qatar because these final days of the group stage have been a nerve-wracking, but exciting affair so far.
